Phil is back from Hawaii and bringing with him observations about how the islands AND America have changed since he last visited the spots he traveled to (24 and 36 years ago respectively). He and Dean bring back “What We’re Reading” after a lengthy absence, and the discussion of books will lead to discussions of comedy, the Golden Age of Radio, watercolor painting and YouTube instructional videos! In “Celebrity Deaths”, an Oscar-nominated star of M*A*S*H, one of the greatest comedy movie directors of all time, and the “Queen of Funk” all get remembered. The show concludes with an analysis of Sunday night’s Screen Actors Guild awards. What do the Film winners portend for the forthcoming Oscars, and whom did Phil and Dean vote for in these award categories? All that, plus what non-nominated film might be one of the very best of 2021?

On Christmas Eve in the nation’s capital, your friends in podcasting (and broadcasting!) got together in-person for this very special (and pre-recorded) holiday treat! Dean discusses his Los Angeles adventures, including the Cerritos mall, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and nudists! Phil discusses his east coast adventures, including a visit to the Hillwood Estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post and the night his beloved cat, Fuzz Aldrin, decided to go walkabout! They touch briefly on the death of beloved novelist Joan Didion, and they discuss a handful of holiday season cinematic releases, including (more on) Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, Being the Ricardos, King Richard, Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Matrix Resurrections. There is even time for a brief follow-up on the zen brilliance of Bill Murray, and there is a photo shoot during the show! Join Dean and Phil as they ring out the final week of 2021 in style …

You might not know the name Don Phillips, but you will definitely know the names of many the performers whose careers he launched as a casting director, and the films with which he was involved. He is one of four cultural titans that Dean and Phil remember in “Celebrity Deaths” on this week’s show, including a poet and founder of the mythopoetic men’s movement, an iconic Broadway composer, and a trombonist who received the highest honor ever bestowed on jazz musicians. Dean will update us on the latest in his bout with Covid-19, his travel plans, his live ghost hunts and his “Hellacious Renovations”. Phil will regale us with his birthday adventures, his deep dive into historic movie locations, and his exploration of the Manzanar “War Relocation Center”. Several movies will get analyzed as well, including a Kurosawa classic ripe for a modern-day remake, a film noir with a claim to the best dialogue of any movie ever, and a current box office hit that begs the question, “Does bustin’ make Dean & Phil feel good?”

Your friends in podcasting are celebrating 100 episodes of broadcasting! That’s right, this is their 100th episode since moving their franchise to Odysy Radio! Dean and Phil celebrate this milestone by sharing personal stories of on-set safety in the wake of the emerging details behind the fatal shooting on the set of Rust. They discuss society’s need for “instant eulogies” in the wake of another friend’s death. They discuss the latest news on the big-screen Dune and review the latest from Wes Anderson. All that, plus the return of the “Live Event of the Week”! Finally, Clint Eastwood is celebrating 50 years as a filmmaker, and Dean and Phil get in on the action by “programming” a “Directed by Clint Eastwood” film festival – 5 double features you might want to watch!

Because the only way to truly let go is through gratitude, Dean and Phil spend this week’s show celebrating the Best of 2020! From space exploration to snail mail, from nanotechnology to basketball, from ice cream to the Criterion Collection, from television series you can stream to rooms that produce steam it’s an eclectic mix of items that get celebrated and discussed. Frequently hilarious, often thought-provoking, and even inspiring, it’s YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour wishing you a healthy and prosperous 2021!

With special “theme” shows planned to ring out 2020 and ring in 2021, this week’s show will be the last of Dean and Phil’s usual irreverent and insightful show biz grab bags for a few weeks! In it, they celebrate the lives of two Broadway legends, an accomplished New Orleans-based actress, and a “Star Wars” icon. They discuss some of their favorite Christmas movies and share what movies they have gravitated towards this holiday season. They offer up a few holiday-themed movie print ads in what has become a weekly tradition. They discuss why Hitchcockian cinema (i.e. Hitchock-like movies directed by people other than Hitchcock) might have had its peak in the 1970s. They weigh in on Tom Cruise’s Covid-19 safety protocol rant. All that, plus, “The Mandalorian”, “Star Trek: Discovery”, “The Boys” and John Cassavetes!

In some ways this week’s episode is a continuation of last week’s show, with more hilarious, puzzling, controversial or just plain delightful movie ads from the 80’s or 90’s, and an email from a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU!) following up on last week’s remembrance of David Lander and his death from Multiple Sclerosis. There is also another email that contains a job offer for Dean, who will update us on his ice cream making and on his graphic novel. Phil wants to discuss caramel, Captain Morgan’s spiced rum and an apparently controversial Uber Eats advertising campaign. Two new documentaries available on Showtime, must viewing for those interested in comedy, movies, music and culture, will get discussed. The controversial decision by Warner Brothers to release their entire 2021 theatrical slate directly to HBO Max will get analyzed. Two indelible actors, a giant of espionage and of spy fiction, a Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, and one legendary, military maverick get remembered in “Celebrity Deaths”.

 On this week’s show, a Back to the Future actress, a legendary comic who helped launch the careers of numerous other comics, a game show legend, and a comedic actress who was one of Mel Brooks’ favorites all get remembered in “Celebrity Deaths”. Your friends in podcasting will pick up last week’s conversation comparing Superhero movies to westerns, extending the comparison to television. They will further dig down into the danger of taking anything too seriously, as well as the danger of “fast food”, as they examine the ways we consume information, entertainment, and express our political preferences. Then, after the break, Dean and Phil will discuss two new Sacha Baron Cohen films and two Bill Murray films. Finally, in “What We’re Reading”, Dean will discuss ice cream and Phil will discuss published works by two ladies in his life!

It’s our final show before the start of Season 2! After a week off, your friends in podcasting will be moving to ODYSY Radio Network starting Monday December 2nd. Once there, shows will “air” live at 9 pm eastern (becoming available as podcast a few hours later)! On THIS week’s show, our last EVER to exceed one hour (!), Dean and Phil discuss a Veteran’s Day-themed “Live Event of the Week”, remember an actress who starred in a handful of cult classics and the puppeteer responsible for Topo Gigio in “Celebrity Deaths”, compare notes on their upcoming travels, and weigh in on six new, upcoming, or recent movies: The LIghthouse, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Just Mercy, Judy, Tell Me Who I Am, Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Longtime listeners know that Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness care about your health and the health of society. This week’s episode gets started with a discussion of Phil’s eyesight loss, the NBA Finals, the catastrophic injuries that marred the NBA Finals, and the pressure everyone feels, not just athletes, to get back to work as quickly as possible, even if they are injured or if their health is compromised. Then, Dean discusses the latest about his streaming improv web series “Gravity Hole”, the conspiracy-themed live comedy performance he will be giving in July, before he and Phil dig into some of the great comedy series and how they reveal the truth. Finally, Phil brings up the recent implosions at the box office before singing the praises of a recent superhero release, a silent classic and a brand new Zombie comedy. The show closes with part 2 of Phil’s conversation with actress-singer-producer Chase Masterson and her profound efforts to build a healthier society through her anti-bullying Pop Culture Hero Coalition